Sensitizing rocket propulsion engine

Abstract

A rocket propulsion engine includes a propellant vessel, a sensitizer vessel, a combustion chamber, an exhaust nozzle, and a controllable sensitizer injector. The combustion chamber combusts combustible propellant received from the propellant vessel and the combustion gas produced therefrom is exhausted through the exhaust nozzle. When activated, the controllable sensitizer injector introduce sensitizer from the sensitizer vessel into the propellant vessel to form an explosive mixture of the combustible propellant and the sensitizer. A method of operating a rocket propulsion engine includes supplying a combustible propellant from the propellant vessel into the combustion chamber, combusting the combustible propellant within the combustion chamber, and exhausting combustion gas produced through the exhaust nozzle. The method also includes introducing the sensitizer from the sensitizer vessel into the propellant vessel to form an explosive mixture within the propellant vessel.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A rocket propulsion engine, comprising:
 a propellant vessel containing a combustible propellant that is not explosive;   a combustion chamber fluidly connected to the propellant vessel via a propellant flow path to receive the combustible propellant therefrom;   an exhaust nozzle fluidly connected to the combustion chamber so as to exhaust combustion gas produced in the combustion chamber resulting from combustion of the combustible propellant;   a sensitizer vessel containing a sensitizer, the sensitizer vessel is fluidly connected to the propellant vessel via a sensitizer flow path; and   a controllable sensitizer injector that is configured to introduce the sensitizer from the sensitizer vessel into the propellant vessel via the sensitizer flow path to form an explosive mixture of the propellant and the sensitizer within the propellant vessel.   
     
     
         2 . The rocket propulsion engine of  claim 1 , wherein the combustible propellant is a monopropellant. 
     
     
         3 . The rocket propulsion engine of  claim 1 , wherein the sensitizer, the combustible propellant, and the explosive mixture are each respectively one or more of a liquid and a solid. 
     
     
         4 . The rocket propulsion engine of  claim 1 , wherein the combustible propellant has a specific impulse of at least 200 seconds. 
     
     
         5 . The rocket propulsion engine of  claim 1 , wherein the propellant vessel includes a detonator. 
     
     
         6 . The rocket propulsion engine of  claim 5 , wherein the detonator is incapable of causing detonation of the combustible propellant without the sensitizer. 
     
     
         7 . The rocket propulsion engine of  claim 1 , wherein the controllable sensitizer injector comprises a sensitizer flow controller in the sensitizer flow path and/or a sensitizer ejector associated with the sensitizer vessel. 
     
     
         8 . A rocket propulsion engine, comprising:
 a propellant vessel containing a combustible propellant and having a detonator;   a combustion chamber having an ignitor;   a propellant flow path fluidly connecting the propellant vessel and the combustion chamber, and a propellant flow controller in the propellant flow path that controls the flow of propellant through the propellant flow path;   an exhaust nozzle fluidly connected to the combustion chamber;   a sensitizer vessel containing a sensitizer;   a sensitizer flow path fluidly connecting the sensitizer vessel and the propellant vessel,   a controllable sensitizer injector that controls the flow of sensitizer through the sensitizer flow path;   a controller that is connected to the propellant flow controller, the ignitor, the controllable sensitizer injector, and the detonator, the controller is configured to:
 activate the propellant flow controller to supply the combustible propellant from the propellant vessel to the combustion chamber, 
 activate the ignitor to heat and combust the combustible propellant within the combustion chamber to produce combustion gas, the combustion gas exhausted through the exhaust nozzle, 
 activate the controllable sensitizer injector to introduce the sensitizer from the sensitizer vessel into the propellant vessel to form an explosive mixture of the combustible propellant and the sensitizer within the propellant vessel, and 
 trigger the detonator to cause a detonation of the explosive mixture within the propellant vessel. 
   
     
     
         9 . The rocket propulsion engine of  claim 8 , wherein the combustible propellant is a monopropellant. 
     
     
         10 . The rocket propulsion engine of  claim 8 , wherein the detonator is incapable of causing detonation of the combustible propellant without the sensitizer. 
     
     
         11 . The rocket propulsion engine of  claim 8 , wherein the sensitizer, the combustible propellant, and the explosive mixture are each respectively one or more of a liquid and a solid. 
     
     
         12 . The rocket propulsion engine of  claim 8 , wherein the combustible propellant has a specific impulse of at least 200 seconds. 
     
     
         13 . The rocket propulsion engine of  claim 8 , wherein the controllable sensitizer injector comprises a sensitizer flow controller in the sensitizer flow path and/or a sensitizer ejector associated with the sensitizer vessel. 
     
     
         14 . A method of operating a rocket propulsion engine, comprising:
 supplying a combustible propellant from a propellant vessel into a combustion chamber, and   combusting the combustible propellant within the combustion chamber to produce combustion gas, and exhausting the combustion gas through an exhaust nozzle to generate thrust;   introducing sensitizer from a sensitizer vessel into the propellant vessel to form an explosive mixture of the sensitizer and the combustible propellant within the propellant vessel;   detonating the explosive mixture within the propellant vessel.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the supplying of the combustible propellant from the propellant vessel into the combustion chamber includes activating a propellant flow controller disposed in a propellant flow path that fluidly connects the propellant vessel to the combustion chamber. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the introducing of the sensitizer from the sensitizer vessel into the propellant vessel includes at least one of:
 pushing, with an ejector, the sensitizer out of the sensitizer vessel,   activating a sensitizer flow controller disposed in a sensitizer flow path that fluidly connects the sensitizer vessel to the propellant vessel.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the combusting of the combustible propellant within the combustion chamber to produce combustion gas includes:
 heating, with an ignitor, the combustible propellant within the combustion chamber.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , comprising:
 changing a thrust vector of the rocket propulsion engine during flight, which includes the exhausting of the combustion gas through the exhaust nozzle to generate the thrust.   
     
     
         19 . A method of operating a rocket propulsion engine, comprising:
 launching a rocket having the rocket propulsion engine, at the time of launch the rocket not having a self-destruction capable explosive, wherein the rocket comprises a propellant vessel containing a combustible propellant that is not explosive; and   after the rocket is launched, forming a self-destruction capable explosive in the rocket propulsion engine, wherein forming the self-destruction capable explosive in the rocket propulsion engine comprises forming an explosive mixture by combining the combustible propellant and a sensitizer.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising detonating the self-destruction capable explosive.